


Excruciating

by altermona



Series: BTH Bingo [2]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Angst, Bad Things Happen Bingo, Blood, M/M, curse, passing out from pain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-12
Updated: 2018-10-12
Packaged: 2019-07-29 19:22:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16270736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/altermona/pseuds/altermona
Summary: Akira protects Akechi from an incoming attack, but the effects caused by it go beyond what any of them expected.





	Excruciating

They were completing a few requests from Mishima in Mementos when something strange happened.

A creature unlike the others they had seen before appeared. A humanoid, but still distorted figure, whose movements resembled a leech, as well as the large, round mouth filled with teeth that covered its whole face. It had limbs — too many of them — which seemed too thin for its big, disgusting body, like the legs of a spider, but with the form of human arms and legs.

“What is that?” asked Makoto.

“ _I can’t read it!”_ said Futaba. _“Please, be careful!”_

They followed her advice, not risking any powerful attacks that could turn against themselves. Physical attacks were out of the question, since that soft, almost gelatinous body would probably absorb all the impact.

“ _Your magical attacks are effective, but… It’s too strong. It should take a while.”_

“Nothing we didn’t do before,” said Akira.

“There’s no way I’d know that,” replied Akechi.

Akira glanced at him with a crooked smile.

“Have some faith on your companions, _‘prince’_.”

Akechi smiled at that clear provocation.

“As you wish, _‘thief’_.”

They fought for a while, trying various kinds of magic to see which ones were more effective. The creature seemed to be weak against Bless magic, so Akechi prepared to use Hamaon, in an attempt to end that fight quickly. But, before he could even command his persona, the creature seemed to notice his intentions, turning its attention to him. He barely had the time to realize what was happening before he was hit by Curse magic. It seemed to drain his energies, and he fell to the ground, on his knees. _Damn, he had been too careless._

He raised his eyes, in time to see what appeared to be a long arm leaving the creature’s mouth, however, instead of a hand, there was a bright red needle, like a scorpion’s. It turned to his direction, and Akechi felt his blood freeze: in his position, he wouldn’t be able to evade that attack.

“Crow!”

Akechi closed his eyes when the needle darted in his direction, but it didn’t hit him. He opened his eyes again, only to see Joker in front of him, the creature’s needle buried just below his chest.

For a second, the world seemed to have stopped, then the creature yanked its strange tail back. The red needle was gone.

Akira fell on the ground, pressing the region where he’d been hit, breathing hard. His body curled into a ball, and a loud, anguished scream left his throat.

“Joker!”

Without thinking, Akechi kneeled beside him, turning his body upwards, searching for an injury. But there wasn’t a wound, or blood.

“Watch out!”

Makoto’s voice called his attention, but he only noticed the shadow when it was already too close.

“ _No!”_

Following Futaba’s voice, a green barrier surrounded them both, repelling the shadow’s attack. Ryuji used Ziodyne against the creature, paralyzing it, making it fall. He and Makoto attacked the thing simultaneously, and Yusuke, Ann and Haru jumped into it too, striking as fast as they could to destroy the creature, while Morgana approached the other two. Akira was still convulsing and screaming, while Akechi watched, unsure of what to do.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know,” said Akechi. “He’s not wounded, but he seems to be in pain.”

“Open his shirt!”

Akechi was taken aback for no more than a second by that strange request, then proceeded to do as Morgana said. As soon as his eyes fell upon Akira’s torso, he realized something was wrong: there was a big, dark red mark under his skin, with thin veins that seemed to be slowly spreading through his body.

“What’s this?” he asked, widening his eyes.

“Some sort of poison, or curse,” said Morgana. “It seems to be burning him from the inside.”

Akechi watched as Morgana used Diarahan on Akira, without any change. Akira kept screaming and clawing at his own body, as if trying to rip something out of it.

“Healing isn’t working…” said Morgana. “Hold him in place, or he’ll end up hurting himself,” saying that, he turned to the battle. “Noir! We need your help!”

Akechi did as he said, holding both of Akira’s arms with some difficulty. Haru approached them with fast steps, kneeling on the floor beside them.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, eyes widening at the sight.

“Use Amrita Shower, quick!” said Morgana.

She didn’t question him, using the magic as he said. After a few seconds, Akira stopped convulsing, despite his breath still being accelerated.

“It seems to have stopped spreading, but it’s not gone…” said Morgana.

“What should we do, then?” asked Akechi.

Before Morgana or Haru could answer, the sound of approaching steps called their attention: it seemed the battle was over.

“That piece of shit fled…” shouted Ryuji in an angry tone, then his eyes fell upon Akira, and his expression changed to concern. “Joker!”

He ran to them, stopping beside his best friend, holding his face with both hands.

“Hey, Joker…” he called.

“He’s passed out,” said Morgana.

“Can’t someone heal him?”

“What do you think we’ve been trying to do all this time, you idiot?”

Ryuji didn’t answer, focusing his attention on Akira again.

“Fuck…”

“He’ll be fine, right?” asked Haru. “This thing…” She indicated that red mark with her eyes. “It’ll go away, won’t it?”

“I don’t know…” said Morgana. “Maybe. But he’ll be in pain until it does.”

“We can’t leave him like that!” protested Ryuji.

“I agree,” said Yusuke.

Morgana frowned, seeming deep in thought.

“Following the logic of Mementos,” he said, “maybe we’ll find a cure for it if we defeat that shadow.”

“But if fled…” reminded Ann. “We don’t know where it is!”

“We’ll have to find it, then!” said Ryuji.

The group agreed.

“I’ll stay with him,” offered Akechi.

Haru looked at him, a little hesitant.

“Wouldn’t it be better if I stayed?” she asked. “My magic seemed to help.”

“I have to disagree…” said Morgana, lowering his eyes. “We might need your magic if we get hit as well, otherwise, we’ll just be slowed down.”

“That’s… true.”

Haru averted her gaze. Akechi could tell she didn’t trust him, and he couldn’t blame her: he was the detective who was about to undo her beloved group, after all… But he also knew she’d hate him even more if she knew the truth about her father’s death. Things like that served to remind him that, despite everything, he wasn’t one of them.

“Come, I’ll take you to a safe room.”

Saying that, Morgana changed to his car form. They drove to the closest safe room, then carried Akira to the bench in the middle of it. Akechi sat beside him.

“We’ll be back as soon as we can,” said Morgana.

He led the group to the stairs, but before following them, Ryuji approached Akechi with an intimidating face.

“He better be safe when we come back,” he said.

Unlike the others, Ryuji didn’t even try to hide how much he disliked Akechi. Again, not a surprise.

“You should go after them,” said Akechi, “or you’ll be left behind.”

Ryuji glared at him for another second, then left without any other word. Akechi watched him disappear downstairs, then focused his attention on Akira, who was lying beside him. It didn’t seem like a comfortable position, so, after hesitating for a while, Akechi carefully moved him, until his head was resting on his lap.

“ _What am I doing…?”_ he asked himself.

Despite his words, he didn’t move Akira away, placing a hand on his head, instead. Even if he tried, he just couldn’t help but care about him. Unlike the others, Akira had always been nice to Akechi. Always trusting, and kind, and friendly…

Yes, _friends_. Akechi tried not to think about it, but Akira Kurusu was the first person he ever felt he could call a friend, or even something more. He couldn’t deny he was aware of his own growing feelings for the leader of the Phantom Thieves, and how much he had to fight them every single day not to give up on his plans and simply stay beside him.

But he couldn’t give up now. Everything he did was to take revenge on Shido, and he wouldn’t throw all his efforts away, especially not for someone else. Not for _him_.

Akechi gritted his teeth, feeling his head hurt a little. He closed his eyes, leaning his head against the acrylic wall behind him. A long time passed in silence, as he absent-mindedly caressed Akira’s hair, when a low groan called his attention.

“Kurusu?” he called, looking at his face. “Can you hear me?”

Akira blinked twice, seeming a little lost, then turned his eyes to Akechi.

“Akechi…?”

Akechi offered him a light smile.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

Akira placed a hand over his wound, frowning.

“My body hurts…” he said. “What happened?”

“You were hit by a shadow, remember?”

Akira spent a few seconds with a confused look, until his memories seemed to get back.

“That’s right!” Akira jolted up, only to almost lose his balance, being held in place by Akechi. However, either his mind didn’t register that fact, or didn’t care enough to acknowledge it. “It tried to hit you… Are you hurt?”

“No, you took the hit all to yourself,” answered Akechi in a calm, slightly humorous tone, as he helped Akira sit straight on the bench, beside him.

That answer made Akira smile.

“You know I don’t like to share,” he said.

“Way too well.”

Saying that, Akechi adopted a more serious tone.

“It was careless of you…” he said. “But I should thank you for protecting me.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Akira glanced around. “Where are the others?”

“They went after that shadow, to see if it had some kind of antidote for you.”

That hadn’t been the most eloquent answer, and Akira’s face made it clear.

“Antidote?” he asked.

Akechi agreed with a nod.

“It seems you were cursed,” he said. “It should heal with time, but you seemed to be in pain, so we’ve decided to go after it and see if it carries some kind of cure.”

“Oh…” Akira averted his eyes for a moment. “That explains why I feel like garbage…”

He looked back at Akechi, and his unrest was apparent.

“Aren’t they in danger, going after that thing again?” he asked.

“They’ll be fine,” Akechi assured him. “They should be back soon.”

Akira agreed with a small nod. His gaze seemed distant, and Akechi was about to ask him if he was feeling well, when he leaned in his direction, resting his head against his shoulder.

“Sorry…” he said. “But I feel really exhausted.”

Akechi tried to ignore his urge to embrace Akira’s shoulders and bring him closer.

“It’s fine,” he answered with a carefree tone. “You can pay me in coffee, later.”

A small chuckle left Akira’s lips.

“Sounds good.”

They spent a few minutes in silence.

“Kurusu…” said Akechi. “Why did you protect me?”

Akira didn’t answer immediately, and Akechi started to think he had fallen asleep when he finally heard his low voice.

“I don’t know… My body moved on its own.” There was another second of silence before he proceeded. “I think I just didn’t want you to get hurt.”

“What’s the use, if you’re the one getting injured?” asked Akechi. “You’re the leader, we should be the ones protecting you.”

Akira looked at him with a light smile on his face.

“Hearing you saying that makes me feel guil—” His phrase was interrupted by a groan, and his face contorted in pain as he hugged his own torso. “Damn…”

“Is it still hurting?” asked Akechi.

“A little… It seems like it’s burning.”

Another groan left his lips, followed by a low whimper. Akira curved his body, until his forehead was almost touching his knees. Akechi placed a hand on his back, leaning in his direction.

“Kurusu? Is it getting worse?”

“I… think so…” Akira’s voice was hoarse and weak, and it worried Akechi. “It’s hard to breathe.”

“Do you want to lay down again?”

“I—”

This time, what followed was a pained scream. Akira tightened his arms around his body, his breath hasty and shallow.

“It hurts…”

Akechi tried not to panic with the situation: he didn’t have any healing spells to use if things became worse.

“Hang in there,” he asked, “the others will be back soon.”

“I… I can’t…”

Akira was trembling, and his breath sounded raspy. Akechi got up, helping him lay down on the bench, then reached for his shirt.

“Let me see it.”

He opened his shirt, and, as he feared, the red mark under the fabric seemed to move and spread more each second. Haru’s Amrita Shower spell only stopped it for a short time: it wasn’t going to get better on its own.

“Damn…” he cursed under his breath.

The only solution would be to the others to find a cure.

Akira started to claw at his own body again, in a desperate attempt to stop the pain. Akechi held both of his wrists.

“Stop,” he asked, “it’ll only make it worse.”

“I can’t… Akechi, please… Make it stop.”

Hearing such a pitiful plea coming from someone who was usually so strong made Akechi’s heart feel heavy.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t,” he said.

Akira turned his eyes to him, finding it difficult to keep them focused.

“Just… kill me…”

That request made Akechi widen his eyes.

“What are you talking about?” His voice sounded loud. “There’s no way I’ll do that!”

“Stop lying… You want me dead… That’s why you’re…”

Another scream. Those words gave Akechi a bad feeling.

“Kurusu…?”

“I know you’re… going to kill me.”

Akechi stared at him, unable to say anything in response. So, he knew… Somehow, he knew about his plan. He probably wouldn’t have blurted it out like that in his normal state, but it was clear that the pain was interfering with his thoughts. Akechi averted his gaze: he should have expected that someone like Akira Kurusu would see through his lies.

“You’ll do it anyway…” proceeded Akira. “So just… do it now…”

Akechi closed his eyes, gritting his teeth. He thought about that smiling and playful Akira he met almost every evening at Leblanc, the confident leader who treated him as one of their own, despite the team’s clear distrust. The Akira who insisted on spending his free time with him, when he didn’t need to. The Akira who called him a friend. Had he known all that time? Akechi felt a deep pain in his chest.

“I won’t,” he said.

He looked at Akira, expecting him to keep insisting, or to try and free himself from Akechi’s hands. Instead, he stopped fighting, just looking at him. A low sob left his throat, being soon followed by tears.

“Why…?”

Akechi didn’t find an answer.

“Do you… hate me that much?” proceeded Akira between sobs. “I just wanted… us to be friends… But no matter what I do… nothing changes. Nothing…”

Akechi let go of his wrists. He hesitated for a moment, before reaching to Akira’s face, drying his tears with the tip of his fingers.

“I don’t hate you,” he said in a gentle tone.

Akira forced his eyes closed.

“Liar…”

“It’s true,” insisted Akechi, lowering his eyes. “And I don’t want to lose you.”

“Stop!” asked Akira, raising his voice. “You don’t—”

Akira coughed, placing his hand over his mouth. The gesture wasn’t enough to hold the blood, that dripped from between his fingers. Akechi felt like his heart had stopped.

“Kurusu…!”

Akira stared at his own hand for a moment.

“Akechi…” he muttered in a weak voice. “What is—”

He was taken by another wave of coughs. He turned his face to the side, and a pool of blood soon formed on the ground beneath him. He lost his balance, falling on his knees and hands. Akechi grabbed him by the shoulders, making Akira look at him.

“Kurusu! Hang in there!”

Despite his words, Akira’s body lost its strength, falling limp against him. Akechi looked at his face, seeing blood running from his nose and mouth. Had that curse reached his vital organs? A feeling of despair grew inside him.

“Stay with me…” he asked, placing a hand on Akira’s face. “Please, stay with me!”

He didn’t answer. Akechi held him against his chest, burying the face on his hair.

“Don’t leave me,” he muttered.

It was like he lost all sense of time and reality, and only came back to his senses when he felt someone touch his arm, trying to get Akira away from him. He raised his eyes, seeing the rest of the Phantom Thieves there. A destructive rage took his whole mind.

“Why did you take so long?” he asked.

“What happened to him?” asked Ann.

“Do you have the antidote or not?” proceeded Akechi in a loud voice. “He’ll die at this rate!”

His words seemed to convey the seriousness of the situation.

“Here,” said Morgana.

He offered Akechi a small, spherical item. It was similar to a revival bead, but slightly smaller and with a reddish color.

“Akira…” said Akechi, looking at his face. “Here… Open your mouth.”

Akira didn’t move, so Akechi carefully opened his mouth, sliding the small bead inside. For a moment that seemed like an eternity, nothing happened, then Akira started to breathe normally again, his face regaining a little of its lost color. Akechi looked down at his body, seeing the red mark slowly become smaller and lighter. He let out a relieved sigh, hugging Akira again. Alive… he was alive.

Ryuji kneeled beside him, placing a hand on Akira’s forehead, brushing the slightly sweaty hair away from his face.

“Will he get better?” he asked.

“I hope so,” said Akechi.

There was a brief, understanding silence between them, before Yusuke called their attention.

“We should go back to the entrance for now,” he said. “It’s dangerous to stay here for too long.”

They did as he suggested, driving back to Mementos’ entrance. The group spent some time there, but since it was becoming late and Akira didn’t show any signs of waking up, they decided to go back to the real world.

“You sure you don’t need help?” asked Ryuji, when they reached the train station.

“No, it’s fine.” Answered Akechi, who was carrying Akira on his back, having offered to take him back to Leblanc.

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t drop Akira along the way,” said Futaba.

Akechi looked at her with a tired expression.

“I’m not that incompetent, you know…”

Maybe because of what happened in Mementos, but the air around them seemed to have become lighter. Akechi tried not to think too much about it, but it made him happy. More than he imagined possible.

“Take care of him,” asked Ryuji.

Akechi agreed with a nod as he embarked the train. They found three free seats, and spent the trip to Yogen-Jaya in silence. Sojiro was shocked to see Akira in that state, and both Akechi and Futaba had to reassure him that he was recovering, and should be better in a few days.

“Just tell me if you need a ride to the hospital,” he said.

They agreed, going upstairs. There, Akechi changed Akira’s clothes while Futaba made his bed — while also making some remarks about breaking his legs if he had any strange ideas about her “brother”. Akechi laughed it off, deciding not to tell her that it was too late for that. They placed Akira on his bed, and all he did was grumble in his sleep and move a little in search of a comfortable position.

“Wow… Talk about a heavy sleeper,” laughed Morgana.

“It has to be a special perk,” answered Futaba, her last words fusing with a long yawn. “I’m so tired… I think I’ll go home for today.”

“I’ll stay for a while longer,” answered Akechi.

Futaba looked at him, seeming a little unsure. Of course… If Akira knew about his plan, then Futaba should know about her mother. For the first time, Akechi felt guilty about what he did to Wakaba Isshiki.

But, after some consideration, she shrugged, trying a little too hard to seem nonchalant.

“Alright…” she said, without looking at his eyes. “Let me know if anything changes.”

Futaba approached Akira’s bed, leaning in his direction, giving him a brief kiss on the forehead.

“Sleep well, nerd.”

She left, and, a few minutes later, Sojiro also went upstairs to make sure — for the last time — that things were fine. Akechi used to feel jealous of Akira for all the love he received — part of him still did, to be honest — but now, instead of anger, the feeling was accompanied by a bittersweet sensation. Could he still find people who would care about him like that? Would he ever feel truly accepted with others, as he felt with Akira?

Was it too late for him to change?

“Akechi…” Morgana’s voice brought him back from his thoughts. “What is Akira to you?”

He felt a little surprised by that question. He thought about it for a moment, lowering his eyes to his asleep companion.

“I don’t know,” he admitted.

“I see…”

Morgana jumped on the bed, looking straight at Akechi’s eyes.

“Just don’t forget that he was ready to die for you today.”

Akechi could only agree with a silent nod. He couldn’t forget how Akira protected him with his own life, even if he wanted to. He knew he was a traitor, and still…

Morgana lay beside Akira, cuddling against the side of his body. The cat soon seemed to be asleep, but Akechi knew he was still alert. Of course he wouldn’t trust him… Things wouldn’t change that easily.

But it didn’t mean they never would.

Akechi pulled one of Akira’s chairs, placing it beside his bed, watching him for a moment, deep in thought. He reached for his hand, carefully, holding it between his, then leaned forward, placing a light kiss on it, holding it close to his face.

“Don’t leave me…” he muttered without a sound.

Now that he had been through that despair, he didn’t want to feel it ever again.


End file.
